


A Better Plan

by posingasme



Series: SPN Hiatus Writing Challenge [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Past Child Abuse, Past Drug Use, Warning for prescription drug abuse, Warning for unhealthy coping methods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 12:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7223128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/posingasme/pseuds/posingasme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A time stamp for a few months after the conclusion of Good Ole Boys, in which Adam comes looking for his real father. </p><p>Adam is still dealing with emotional scars from his time with his step-father Michael. But now he's got a big brother there to help him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Better Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This is prompt #3 for the SPN Hiatus Writing Challenge: "There's an interesting story behind that..."

Adam walked in to find his brother waiting for him with hands in his back pockets. The guy was disturbingly, intimidatingly tall. And big. And scary. He blinked at him. “Hey. What's up?”

From one of the hip pockets, a large hand produced a pill bottle. Sam simply held it out and waited. 

The younger boy licked his lips carefully. “There's a, uh...There's an interesting story behind that.” Too bad he couldn't think of one at the moment. 

Sam didn't talk much. He worked at the Winchester farm all day, every day, from dawn to dusk, and sometimes even later, and then he came home to rest. Sometimes Adam only knew he had been home at all because he could hear the motorcycle speed out before the world woke up in the morning. That, and Castiel had a smile on his face at breakfast. Even when Sam was there, he said very little, preferring to let Adam chatter about school or friends he was making in town. So it wasn't much of a surprise when he didn't say anything much now. “Yeah?” he rumbled softly. “Go on.”

Adam sighed. “I'm holding them for somebody.”

Sam looked amused for a moment. “They still using that line? Anybody still believe it?”

“Hoped you might.”

“I used that line. Even when it's true, it's a stupid line. And it ain't true. So how about you talk it out before I gotta beat it out of you?”

Adam’s eyes widened. “It just helps me sleep sometimes.”

Sam frowned. “Roxicet is a painkiller. Why do you need…”

He dropped his gaze. 

His brother took a deep breath. “Okay, kid. But you're going to a counselor. If he thinks you need-”

“He doesn't think I need anything! This new guy, I'm starting to think he doesn't believe a word I say!”

Sam’s eyes flashed dangerously. He shook the pill bottle and sighed. “Did you tell Cas that?”

“Cas has enough to worry about, man, without me giving him more trouble. He's done enough. And if I can handle something myself, why would I bother him?”

“He's your guardian, Adam. It's his job to make sure you're safe and healthy. And you ain't. And if the guy he's taking you to isn't helping with that, if you're medicating yourself, Cas has to know.”

Adam felt his stomach churning. “Sam...look. Cas cares about me. He does. He took me away from a really bad thing with my step-dad. But…but he doesn't have to be my dad. And neither do you. If I learned anything by coming and finding my dad-our dad-it's that I'm just as well off without one. Cas takes more care of me than anybody ever did before. There's a kid at school who can get these for me once in a while. That's all I need. So please. Please don't bother Cas. Okay? He might decide I'm more trouble than I'm worth. You know? Please just drop it.”

Sam was shaking his head now. “I don't like it. You never said what Michael did to you back then. And you don't gotta say now. But if it's so bad that you need painkillers-somebody else's painkillers-to get to sleep some nights...Kid, we need a better plan than that.”

“Like what?”

“I gotta talk to Cas. Hey! Hey. You know I gotta talk to Castiel about this. But I ain't going to let you get in trouble because you're hurting. I understand how it is to need to check out of reality, man. I spent too much time checked out. And I ain't letting you do it alone. So let me talk to the guy who has promised over and over that he's gonna do right by you, and we're gonna make us a better plan. You hear me?”

It must have been in his eyes, alongside the fear and shame, because Sam sighed again, and closed the distance between them to bestow a rare, awkward hug. Adam held tight as long as the older man would allow. 

“No running, kid,” he reminded him. “We don't run. We're Winchesters. You hear me?”

He sniffed and nodded quickly. “Yeah. No, I know. Old habits,” he promised. 

Sam took the pills with him when he walked away.


End file.
